"What do you want me for then?" The icon designer's dilemma in the age of AI

Matthew Skiles is a self-taught designer from New Zealand renowned for creating a vast number of indie app icons, including the Launched airplane icon. His journey began without formal credentials, crafting his first website at 15 and later designing app icons for various clients, eventually gaining recognition through platforms like Dribbble and Twitter. Despite app icon design being an unpredictable business with short engagements, Skiles continues to thrive due to the expansive and ever-evolving App Store ecosystem. He emphasizes a more analog design process, sketching concepts by hand and refining them digitally, with a focus on maintaining simplicity and balance in icon size. Skiles acknowledges the dual impact of AI on his work, noting its usefulness in communication but also the challenge it presents when clients become indecisive or overly attached to AI-generated designs. He remains adaptable, open to exploring custom generators for textures while maintaining a preference for manual design. Throughout his career, Skiles has navigated changes in design trends, expressing admiration for the creative freedom of past eras and navigating current constraints like Apple's mandatory icon frames. He reflects on the evolution of design communities and trends, remaining passionate about his childhood dream of creating iconic designs.

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